Wiltshire firm fined after child trapped by electric gates at Bournemouth school A school is responsible for the safety and well being of staff and pupils. It is required by law that any equipment used by staff or pupils is safe. On occasion accidents have arisen from faulty equipment being installed incorrectly; however the blame does not always fall at the schools feet as the installation process may have been inadequate therefore the fault is with the manufacturer/company who installed the equipment. On the 6th January 2010 a horrific accident involving a three year old boy and the schools electric gates led to the prosecution of a Wiltshire company. The child was playing around the gate and the gates post when it closed trapping him. Passersby and parents were able to push the gate open just enough to free the child and prevent the gate from closing completely avoiding what could have been very serious injuries. A hearing on 30th September at Swindon Magistrates Court heard how Camera Security Services Ltd failed to install appropriate sensor safety devices which would have detected a person and automatically stopped the gates from closing. After pleading guilty to breaching Regulation 11 of the Supply of Machinery (safety) Regulations 1992 Camera Security Services Ltd were fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £7,000 in costs. After the hearing, HSE Inspector Stephan Axt-Simmonds said: "Camera Security Services Ltd failed to ensure that the equipment they supplied and installed in 2008 was able to operate safely. They had a clear legal requirement in this regard and should also have been mindful that this particular location, the entrance to a primary school, would be used by a particularly vulnerable group: young children. "This was an easily preventable incident that could have had tragic consequences. Suppliers and installers of gate automation equipment must remember that, by automating a gate, they are creating a machine and they must carry out the proper procedures to ensure the equipment they install does not pose a danger to the public. "In bringing this prosecution, HSE has taken into account that the director of Camera Security Services Ltd passed away in 2012 and the company is now run by a completely different team of people. Nevertheless, the company is still legally responsible for the supply and installation of this machinery. "I would encourage all suppliers and installers of electric gates to take a look at the free guidance available on the Door and Hardware Federation website which has been endorsed by HSE." Source: hse.gov.uk/press/2013/rnn-sw-camera-security-services.htm
Posted on: Tue, 08 Oct 2013 10:51:59 +0000